Justifiable
by Jish
Summary: Sequel to "Influence." Luke's now in tenth grade; his life is better after everything that happened at the end of the previous year. However, when walking home, he does something that will change his life, and the lives of his entire family, forever. His actions are justified, but what's happening isn't just. Crossover with Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. On-going.
1. Beast's Obsession (Prologue)

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes. Also, this first chapter and the next may be pushing the "T" rating of this story. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **Note: This story is a sequel to my Modern Family story "Influence." It is highly recommended that you read that story before this one.**

 **A/N: Well, I said there would be one and here it is. I hope you all like this as much as you liked "Influence." Enjoy this first chapter!**

 **Also, please review!**

 **Justifiable (Chapter 1)-Beast's Obsession [Prologue]**

 _In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories._

 _*DUN* *DUN*_

I'm driving home from my job as a mail sorter at the organic foods market. It's not _exactly_ what I thought I would be doing with my life, but it is a job and, hopefully and probably, is just temporary until I get my Associate's Degree from the college I'm attending.

I never thought I would be back in college. I didn't think I would even get in the _first_ time, but after I got kicked out, I just felt so ashamed of myself. Like how could I let that happen? How could I screw up _that_ bad? But, I'm back in school now, and it's all thanks to my younger brother, Luke.

Just seeing him take charge of his life the summer between middle school and high school really changed me. It made me realize that if he could do it, then I can do it too. And I did, and I still _am_.

Today was stressful at work, though. Not because of the job, but because of what was happening while I was working. _He's_ been texting me again...

... _Dylan_.

It's been at least three months since _that_ day, not only the day we got our beautiful and sweet kitty Jess, but the day _he_ made me cry twice in front of Luke and Mom.

Luke...he wouldn't have it. He called Dylan and pretty much threatened him (was more like a promise - Luke really had changed a lot) with bodily harm unless he left me alone.

Seeing that side of Luke...it frightened me a bit. It wasn't the brother I knew. It turned out he...changed a lot more besides getting his act together in school. He told me he was getting into fights to protect Manny from bullies (which I am glad he has since stopped fighting) and he told me about something that happened at school with an old friend Reuben (which I guess they made up now - Luke says the details aren't important but that they are friends again now). It just didn't make sense to me! At least, it didn't make sense until he came out.

My brother's asexual, but bi-emotional. He said all these changes were because of him figuring out his orientation and that the whole process of dealing with it made him grow up. I'm just glad that he's alright and that everyone's okay with it (Grandpa Jay wasn't exactly alright with it at first, but he is now).

But after that day Luke called him, Dylan hasn't tried to talk to me again until last week. I'm not telling Luke because I don't want him to cause a huge thing and keep his promise of that fight, especially with what he's been through recently (the stress of coming out, a hospitalization from his soy allergy, among other things).

I tried to ignore it, and I was able to for about two days. But then he started to call and call and _call_ even though I ignored it every time. It got to the point where I had to just answer and scream "Leave me alone!" before hanging up. Luckily I was alone in the mail-room at the time...

If he doesn't stop soon, I think I'm going to tell Dad, Grandpa, and Uncles Mitchell and Cam. They'll be able to tell him to stop; I trust my family with my life and I know they'll help me.

I pull up into our driveway and get out of the car. I make sure the horn sounds five times when locking it; I don't know why I do, but I just like hearing that horn sound!

I put the key in the door, turn it, grab the mail for the day (Mom has recently started working with Grandpa Jay again and isn't home during the day anymore), and head inside. I set the mail down, turn around, and lock the door.

" _Hey…_ "

"AHH!" I scream and turn around and hit reflexively where that sound came from. I immediately come into contact with skin and rough hair...

"What the hell was that for?" That voice...no...

...Dylan!

He grabs my wrists and holds them tight. I try to break free and unlock the door, but he steps on my foot, HARD.

"HELP! PLEASE!" I start screaming, but he starts kissing me to try to shut me up. I bring my head back and then hit his head hard with mine and twists my wrists. "NO! PLEASE!" I scream in pain and helplessness.

He locks the bottom lock, drags me by my wrists into the kitchen, where a chair is set up with some rope.

No...

He's...going to...

He's going to _rape_ me, isn't he? I've seen this is movies…

I immediately start crying. I just want him gone, and I want to be out of this house. Suddenly, I feel cool metal on my neck.

"Sit down. If you scream again, I'll cut you. Every scream, one cut. Don't play with me, Haley. Don't play with me or my heart like you've done before." He says, and I have to do what he says.

I sit down in that chair, and he begins trying my spread legs to the chair with that rope. He does the same for my arms. I am just sitting there, tears coming out of my eyes as I try to remain quiet so he won't hurt me with that knife.

"There we go." He says and gets up and stands in front of me. "Aren't you beautiful? God, Haley, I missed this." He says, and it scares me. A lot.

"How-how did you get in here Dylan?" I ask. As long as I don't scream, I should be safe from the knife.

"The key you gave me. I copied it as soon as you did. So when you took back the original when you stomped on my heart like a bitch some agonizing months ago, I still had a copy the entire time." He says, and I can see him already losing control.

The key I gave him...

…Oh my God, this is all my fault! I deserve this, then...

"Dylan, w-what are you going to do? I promise, if you go now, I won't tell anyone about this. Just, please, _please_ don't hurt me." I say, pleading with him like I was pleading for my life...which I very well may be doing.

"I won't hurt you, not as long as you're a good girl and treat me right." He says, and moves his hands to his jeans, for his belt.

No! He's...really going to rape me! And it's all my fault!

He undoes his belt, and takes it off slowly, as if _this_ is supposed to _turn me on_. He throws the belt to the side, and undoes the button on the jeans and pulls down the zipper.

"Please, don't do this, Dylan. I'm-I'm sorry I broke up with you like that. I am, I really am. I'm sorry for those things I said. But, think about what's happening." I plead, trying to make him reason.

"What's happening is that we're going to make love again, Haley. We were each other's firsts; let's experience it again." He says.

He's _fucking delusional_! He thinks that I'm _consenting_ to this!

"HELP! PLEASE! HE'S TRYING TO-" I'm cut off by him shoving his hand over my mouth and him holding the knife to my neck with the other.

"I told you to not scream." He says and I scream in pain when he drags it across my neck, slicing my skin open. I can feel the wet blood trail down my neck and soak through my shirt.

"AHH!" I shout muffled. "HELP!" He cuts me quickly this time, and I be quiet for now. I can't risk that again.

"That's right. Be a good girl and you won't get punished." He says and pulls down his jeans that he undid before I screamed. He throws them by his belt and grabs the knife and I feel it on my chest. "Shh, I'm not going to hurt you." He whispers and begins using the knife to slice up my shirt, tearing it in half and exposing my torso and bra. He grabs my left breast, moving it in his hand gently through the bra.

 _Please stop…_

"Dylan-" I begin but I am cut off again.

"No, shut up, baby." He says, and I acquiesce. No point in fighting anymore; just let him rape me and get it over with.

It's all my fault, any way…

He takes the knife again and does the same to my shorts. Now I am just tied up in my bra and panties, while he has his shirt on and is now pulling down his tented boxers. I can see some hair...

...I hear the door jiggle. Someone's there!

"HELP! ANYONE, PLEASE HELP ME!" I need to keep fighting. I can still make it out!

"Haley?" I hear muffled, but it's him...Luke. My younger, yet much braver, brother.

"LUKE! HELP M-" I get a punch in the eye this time. I don't care; I just want this to end. In a moment, I can feel something being stuffed in my mouth and tied around my head, keeping me silenced. I look down; he took off one of his socks. That must be what he's using to silence me…

I can hear the door being banged on hard, like he's trying to break it down. But, it stops and-

"Haley!" He shouts and a window breaks. That's his way in! "Oh my god!" I hear him shout and I see him looking at me, my eyes pleading for Luke to save me.

"You! How dare you try to come between the love we share! First you tell me to stay away and now you interrupt our special time! You made a bad mistake, little dude." Dylan, who is putting his pants back on and his shirt already back on, says to Luke, who is looking around, probably for something to use as a weapon. Instead, he just runs at Dylan and tackles him.

Please save me, Luke...

 **A/N: Well, then! What a first chapter, huh? Okay, I have a few things to say (presented with spaces for easy reading).**

 **One, I am not making this an "official" crossover because I think not putting it in the crossover section will increase the number of readers. This may change in the future (if at all possible), but for now this is only classified as a Modern Family fic.**

 **Two, the title of this chapter is an actual SVU episode title, which was an amazing episode in its story arc.**

 **Three, you do not need to be familiar with the SVU show to be able to follow this story; I have it planned out already. Being familiar with SVU will help understand some details in the future, but it's not necessary at all.**

 **Four, I have still only seen up to Season 4 of Modern Family, but I do know some of the stuff that happens in later seasons, like Claire working with Jay (mentioned in this chapter), Cam being a football coach (may or may not come into play later), etc. I do not know enough about Luke's sports stuff in these later seasons, so for now, I won't even try to write them in. But, timeline wise, this would take place in Season 6 like "Influence" took place in Season 5.**

 **Five, the SVU characters will be based on Seasons 13-15. More detail will come; but be warned about possible spoilers for SVU if you're not caught up yet (which I am not entirely, either).**

 **Six, I'm not sure if I want every chapter after this one to be a Luke P.O.V. chapter. Luke is still the main focus (along with Haley, to some degree), but because of the different plot points, some may be other P.O.V. and some may be in third person. I am currently unsure.**

 **Seven, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all stick around! Also, don't forget to review!**


	2. Fulfilling Duty

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes. Also, this chapter may be pushing the "T" rating of this story. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **A/N: Here's chapter two! I'm going to say that SVU type stuff (characters and other plot) will begin in Ch. 3. And with that, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **Also, please review!**

"Haley!" Luke shouts and a window breaks. That's his way in! "Oh my god!" I hear him shout and I see him looking at me, my eyes pleading for him to save me.

"You! How dare you try to come between the love we share! First you tell me to stay away and now you interrupt our special time! You made a bad mistake, little dude." Dylan, who is putting his pants back on and his shirt already back on, says to Luke, who is looking around, probably for something to use as a weapon. Instead, he just runs at Dylan and tackles him.

Please save me, Luke...

 **Justifiable (Chapter 2)-Fulfilling Duty**

I'm so excited!

Alex is coming home in two weeks! Her first quarter of college ends in two weeks before she's off for three weeks (two officially, but she only has one final during "finals week" on the first day in the morning so she has basically three weeks off because she flies home that same day) and can be with her family again! This is going to be so awesome!

And this past month has been…rather smooth, oddly enough. I don't know why, but I expected the craziness from the end of last year to carry over to this year. But I guess not! And…it feels _so_ nice now to just be _myself_.

One, I'm _out_. People know. My family knows, my friends know, and it's amazing. Two, my classes are easy. Eleventh grade math (Pre-calculus) is easy so far (some _seniors_ in the class ask me for help…though they are in choir and/or theater and know me, but still!) even though I'm only in tenth grade (Alex…thank you _so much_ for teaching me math two summers ago!), Spanish II is easy so far (it's public school – foreign language classes aren't hard and I do talk to Gloria sometimes _en español_ to practice), and English, Chemistry, and History are all easy. Three, I have _friends_! Everything about this year is so fantastic, that _nothing_ can ruin this!

Choir is…so much fun. We sing contemporary music, and it just feels relaxing! Especially because we don't have to worry about program cuts (apparently the district that controls the school's charter is giving the school a year with our new principal to show improvement in the politics of the school after the coup failed) and can just also plan for next year as well.

I'm walking home right now. Mom was going to drive me (we discussed it over the Summer and she said she would pick both Manny and me up so we have more time for our homework but since she started working with Grandpa that arrangement died), but it's fine.

At least I won't be alone when I get home this semester. Haley's schedule is beautiful – for this semester in her classes in college, she has morning classes only and she works part-time in the afternoon and gets off a bit before I get off of school. So, she gets home maybe fifteen or so minutes before I do. It's good because I'm used to having someone (i.e. Mom) home when I get there, so it's nice that Haley's there.

Every time I pass the spot I found Jess I just smile. That cat…is so awesome. She's _big_ now (what a growth spurt she had last month!) and she has a lot of affection for each of us. Around two months ago, she started sleeping on Mom and Dad's bed (they leave their door open for her now or else she just scratches at it until someone opens it) during the day and either my bed or Haley's at night. I guess she knows not to play favorites…

I get home in the same amount of time I usually do. It takes about twenty or so minutes for me to get home, which is a fair time. Mom driving me wouldn't save _that_ much time, but I suppose it would save some energy and help me _not_ waste time by taking a nap (which I've a lot this year so far). I'm going to start trying harder to not nap as much, though. It screws up my willingness to do my homework for the rest of the day when I nap.

I put my key into the door, twist it, and open it…or _try_ to open it. It's…still locked? Did Haley accidentally lock the bottom lock when she got home earlier?

" _HELP! ANYONE, PLEASE HELP ME!"_ I hear _screamed_. That…sounded like Haley…

"Haley?" I semi-shout. I'm… _very_ confused and kind of… _scared_ right now.

"LUKE! HELP M-" I hear before she's cut off…

…Okay. That's her. She's in trouble, and I got to get to her _right now_!

I don't even think about it again for a second when I rush over to the window on the side of the house and punch my elbow right through it. The glass shatters, luckily my shirt preventing the glass from cutting me. I climb inside, and what I see…makes me _freeze_.

 _Him_ …that _bastard_ …has Haley, my older sister, tied up, mouth gagged, and shirt and shorts ripped off her body, and blood running down her neck onto her chest.

"You! How dare you try to come between the love we share! First you tell me to stay away and now you interrupt our special time! You made a bad mistake, little dude." He says, but I don't listen to a sound of it. I instead look around for… _something_ I can use so I can _hurt_ him and make him _pay_ for what he did…

…Nothing. Fuck it. I run up to him and _spear_ him into the countertop behind him. I don't even feel pain after the impact; my adrenaline is rushing. We fall to the side of the counter, and the way we landed, with him straight up against the side and me in his lap, he immediately lands some _hard_ punches onto my back. I crawl backwards as quick as I can and get back to my feet. I'm going to try to end this before it gets any more out of hand.

"Dylan, this is your first and last warning. Get out of my house right now willingly, and I won't have to hurt you. Right now, if you leave I will not go after you. But, should you stay, I am _not_ afraid to _hurt_ you, _beat_ you, and make you _scream_ for laying a single hand on my sister. I haven't fought in months, but that doesn't mean I forgot how. This is your chance to get out of here not on a stretcher." I will do _anything_ to make sure he can't get up or hurt us before I call the police. I'll still call if he leaves, but at least he won't have an injury if he does.

"No! I will fight for my woman! You're not good enough for her!" He says…

…What the _fuck_? Does he think I'm her lover or something? Like, seriously, I knew this guy was a moron and stupid as shit, but…I didn't know he was this _delusional_.

"Dylan, what are you saying? I'm her _brother_. This is your _final_ warning." I can already feel the new-new Luke leaving and the old-new one coming back…I don't like the old-new Luke. But the old-new one is necessary at the moment. I welcome him with open arms.

"NO! I'M THE ONLY ONE FOR HER!" He _screams_ at me and runs directly toward me. I sidestep him and trip him and he lands directly on his face. It doesn't appear to affect him when he gets up; his nose is bleeding but he runs after me again and I knee him directly in his balls and he _very quickly_ runs to the other side of the counter. I told him this was going to _hurt_ …

"AHH!" Haley screams, but muffled. When I walked home, there were no cars around at all; therefore, I assume there are no neighbors near. If there were, I would be screaming for them to call 911.

"I'm alright baby. Don't worry. My package still works." He says, forced and in pain. Is…is he high? Is that what's going on? He is _not_ in his right mind, or anything close to it. He turns to me…with a smile. I see him reach for something on the counter…

…He's reaching for another knife. I can only assume this one is for me.

"I may be in pain right now, but you won't be in _feeling_ in a minute." He says and runs around the counter. I run the opposite way and reach for a knife of my own.

We're on even playing ground now.

"SOMEBODY HELP!" I can make out Haley's muffled screaming. I'm so sorry you have to see this, Haley. But I have to protect you and myself. And if it means stabbing this motherfucker, then I will and I won't ever regret it.

Dylan looks at the knife in my hand and then his own. He… _smiles_ …and starts running toward me. I sidestep him again and I try to get him with my knife. He dodges and goes behind me and…

"AHH!" I scream. He…

…He got me. I can feel it…in my lower back. He stabbed me…

"LUKE! NO! AHHH!" She's screaming…

"Yes! I win! I win! Did you see that baby? I put my honor on the line and I won you back! Now you going to be mine! Oh the sweet love we'll make Haley. You and me, your knight in shining-" He gets silent…

…He shouldn't have turned away from me. Just because I was stabbed, doesn't mean I went down. I reached around and shoved that knife as far as I could into his thoracic cavity.

"AHH!" Haley screams again. Haley…again, I'm so, so sorry you have to see all this. This isn't right…none of this is.

Dylan…makes some sort of gurgling noise when blood starts pouring out of his mouth and he falls to the ground on his back, knife sticking out of his chest. I think…

…I think he's dead. I think I just _killed_ someone…

I get my phone out of my pocket. I couldn't have called earlier…who knows if he could have hurt Haley or me while I tried. I got the situation under control; she's safe. I dial 911 and put the phone on speaker, unable to lift it to my head.

"911, what is your emergency?" The woman operator asks.

"Yes. M-my name is Luke Dunphy. My sister's ex-boyfriend tried to rape her and attack me. He and I both need an ambulance. My sister isn't hurt too bad…but I think he might be dead. I've been stabbed. Please, help." I say, losing breath.

"Okay. We've tracked your phone. The ambulances should be there soon with the police. Don't worry, young man." She says and I smile to myself in relief.

"Thank you." I say when she ends the call before I accidentally lose my grip on my phone and drop it. Well, it's fine. The case will protect it…

I lay down on the ground on my stomach, with the knife still in my back. I know not to try to remove it; that'll only make it worse.

"Haley." I say to her. She's been silent this whole time…

"Luke…" She is still muffled. I can barely stand to hear her like that. I want to hear her voice.

"I'm…I'm too weak to get up. And it's hard to talk but I have two requests. One, find Jess when they untie you and put her in my room and close the door. This glass can hurt her. Two, whatever anyone does, don't let anyone tell Alex yet. I have my reasons, just trust me. Okay?" I ask, my breath losing me by the end.

"Yes. I understand." She says before I smile, give her a thumbs up, and lay my head down on the floor. Dylan hasn't moved or made another sound since that gurgle he made when he went down. Well, whatever happens now, I know one thing.

I know my sister is safe. I protected her. I fulfilled my duty as a brother. Now, I just hope I can fulfill my duty as a family member and survive. This isn't an allergic reaction from soy…this is much, much worse than that.

But, whatever happens. I don't regret this.

Looks like I'm taking that nap after all…

 **A/N: Well, here's Chapter Two! Did you all like it? I don't what to feel about this one. I'm just not good at writing action scenes (just see how rushed Luke's allergic reaction was back in "Influence") and this one felt rushed as well. Well, other than that, I definitely opened up some possibilities for things I haven't quite yet decided on. And like I said, SVU stuff will begin next chapter! Are you all looking forward to it? I know I'm looking forward to writing it! I hope to see you all there! Also, don't forget to review!**


	3. Family's Salvage

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes.**

 **A/N: Like I said, finally some SVU stuff! For some context, this specifically takes place in between Seasons 15 and 16 of that show. Also, fair warning, be prepared for some SVU spoilers in case you want to watch the show. And with that, I hope you guys like this chapter! Also, don't forget to review!**

 **Also, please review!**

I know my sister is safe. I protected her. I fulfilled my duty as a brother. Now, I just hope I can fulfill my duty as a family member and survive. This isn't an allergic reaction from soy…this is much, much worse than that.

But, whatever happens. I don't regret this.

Looks like I'm taking that nap after all…

 **Justifiable (Chapter 3)-Family's Salvage**

When did my job turn into just paperwork? Though, I suppose I can use the ease of this work rather than cases right now. Especially because of the best thing that has happened to me in a long time…baby Noah. He's only my foster child right now, but I plan on adopting him.

I remember telling my old partner Elliot once six years ago, when we were trying to get those stolen embryos back, how I was rejected from adoption. He told me that they were wrong, that I would be a great mother. At the time, I didn't believe him. Now, I do. I love Noah with all my heart. He's going to be my son; I'm going to be his mom.

"Sergeant." I didn't even hear the knock. I look up from my papers and smile when I see my current partner Nick.

" _Detective_ , stop calling me that." He smiles back at me.

"Yeah, but that's the only way to bring you back after your mind wanders off. Anyway, we got a case." Nick says, getting serious again.

"What about?" I wonder if I should go. Since everything with Lewis, it's been hard for me. But, I need to start again.

"Uniforms and CSU are already there. Apparently a young man came home and found his sister's ex-boyfriend trying to rape her. They got into a knife fight and are on the way to the hospital. The sister is still at the house." Nick says, and I guess I have to go. This case is going to be a tough one.

"Okay. Take Fin and go to the hospital. Try to talk to either the brother or the perp if they're awake; if not then the doctors. I'll take Rollins and talk to the sister and CSU." I tell him before he nods and leaves my office.

Well, here it goes.

* * *

"Ms. Haley Dunphy? I'm Sergeant Olivia Benson from the Manhattan Special Victims Unit and this is my partner Detective Amanda Rollins." I say and she looks…worried. Probably for her brother. From what we were briefed on the drive here, he sounds like a great brother. He got stabbed while trying to protect her, and he still didn't stop trying to make sure she was safe.

He did what he had to do to subdue the perp…

"H-Hi. Have you heard how Luke is? I'm worried about him. H-he wasn't moving much when they drove off. D-Did you call our parents?" Haley says, and sniffled. She shakes her head and looks back up, taking a deep breath. She's trying to remain calm and on control of her emotions. She's really scared right now.

"We have some detectives going to the hospital after him. They'll call us with any updates. And we have called your parents. They're going straight to the hospital for your brother and we told them we'll take you after. Can you tell us what happened?" Amanda says.

"It's all my fault. Before we broke up, I gave him a key. I took it back, but…apparently he made a copy. He was already here when I got inside the door. He locked the bottom lock so Luke wasn't able to come in when he got home so he got in through the window." She says, grabbing her head like she's in pain.

"It is not your fault. You and your brother did what you were supposed to do. _Survive_." I tell the young woman.

"Will Luke survive?" She asks softly, and starts crying.

"Sergeant!" I turn around and CSU is ready to tell me what they found. I look over to Rollins and she nods softly. I back over to the front door.

"What do we have?" I ask the officer.

"Some good, some bad. First, we have only one set of fingerprints on the knife the girl said the suspect used. There are several old prints on the bottom lock, but only one fresh partial. There is no sign of forced entry, and we doubt the suspect's DNA will be on the oral swab from the kiss. There are no footprints, the only blood we have is the girl's and the suspect's from when he spit it up." The officer tells me.

*RING* *RING* RING*

"Alright, thanks." I tell the officer before answering my phone. "Nick, what do we have?" I ask my partner who is at the hospital.

"They're both in surgery. The perp's in critical condition and isn't expected to make it, and the vic's brother is lucky – apparently the knife missed the spine but herniated one of the disks and he is getting surgery to repair it." This is good.

"Are the parents there yet?" I ask Amaro.

"Yeah, and so are the grandparents and uncles – a huge family. Fin's talking to them now and we got the update at the same time they did." I guess it's time we all head over there.

"All right. Thanks, Nick. Tell them we're bringing their daughter Haley over there now." I say.

"Will do, Liv. See you and Rollins soon." He says and we hang up. I walk back over to Haley, who has stopped crying.

"Good news, Ms. Dunphy. Your bother is in surgery, but he's expected to be fine. And your whole family's there, waiting for you. Are you ready to go?" I ask her, smiling. I see her face fall in relief when she hears her brother is going to be fine.

"I guess so. Amanda told me she'll stay here while these officers lock up and that they'll change the locks tomorrow because it's standard protocol. Our cat is in Luke's room, just like he told me to do before he passed out, but I'm going to leave some food and water there in case we're not back for a while." She says and I nod before she heads to the kitchen.

I'm surprised her mind is so level right now. Maybe it's because her brother's going to be fine that she can calm down and think about what needs to be done to help the situation. A few minutes later, she comes back with a jacket and her purse. She smiles at me softly and nods.

"Let's go, Ms. Dunphy."

* * *

"Mom? Dad?" Haley quickly walks up to them as soon as we step into the waiting room. They really do have a huge family...they all stand up, except for the toddler and the baby, when she goes up to them. Fin and Amaro are near them, calling me over.

"Haley!" Two people, who I assume to be the parents, run up to her and give her a hug. No words are exchanged; they're just happy they're with each other. "Are you alright?" I can barely make out.

"Thanks to Luke I am. And to Sergeant Benson. She took care of me after the ambulance drove Luke off. Have they been giving you updates?" I hear her ask; I'll let them talk. I walk over to Fin and Nick.

This family…is going to have a lot to deal with emotionally. But, they'll make it. It's obvious everyone loves each other here.

"Where's Rollins?" Nick asks first. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that there's _something_ between them. There's a tension between them like there was when I was dating EADA David Hayden two years ago.

I miss him, and Bryan Cassidy too. All the stable men in my life I push them away. I didn't want to disclose with Hayden and we had to break up. I couldn't tell Cassidy about what happened with Lewis - what Lewis was going to do to me, what he did to those women was…despicable. I couldn't be any happier that he's dead. He deserved to die, but he also deserved to suffer, and he did at my own hands…

…I _really_ hope Haley's brother Luke made this guy suffer, too.

"She's staying with CSU and will meet us back at the precinct." I say, and Nick nods. Nick…

…Don't be like me. Treat her right, Nick. Commit. She's stable for you, now. You guys can support each other with everything that's happened.

"Alright. Anyway, the perp Dylan Marshall just died in surgery; the damage to his heart was just too severe to be repaired. He was pretty much dead on arrival but he still had a tiny pulse. His parents are on the way now to make the I.D." Fin says, and I sigh.

This young man, when he wakes up, is going to have a lot to deal with. I don't know his story and what he's been through so far, but it's going to be tough. But, just like the rest of that family, he'll get through it. He is obviously loved, and he obviously loves them back. He would do anything for them, and they would do anything for him. Just like I would do anything for my baby Noah or Amanda, Nick, or Fin. They're all my family.

"All right. Besides getting their official statements tomorrow, I guess from a police point of view we're done here. But, I want to stay with the family a little more. I want to talk to the family and maybe brother Luke if he wakes up soon." I tell them.

"All right, Liv. See you back at the precinct." Nick says and Fin waves as they head out. I walk back over to the family, and everyone just kind of looks at me, in shock.

"Sergeant Benson, I'm Phil Dunphy. Thank you for taking care of my daughter after…this." The man says. He looks familiar…I think I've seen his face before on some billboards or benches.

"No need to thank me, Mr. Dunphy. I'm just glad you're all going to be okay." I say to them. "So, you're all Luke's and Haley's family?" I ask them all, and they nod. Wow…huge freaking family.

"Lucas Dunphy's family!" I hear from the other side of the room; a doctor is standing outside. Must be another update. I follow the family there. If he's awake I want to talk to him.

"Yes, doctor?" Phil says. He's holding the shoulders of a blonde woman in front of him, presumably his wife and the mother of the victims.

"Your son should be out of surgery in a few hours. There was another minor injury that the rush scan didn't pick up before surgery." The doctor says, and I sigh. Looks like I'll have to talk to him tomorrow.

"Thanks, doctor." The mother says, and the doctor goes back inside.

"Well, I think I'll leave now. I was going to talk to your son if he woke up soon but I have to get back to the precinct now. Here's my card and call me if there's anything questions." I say, handing each of them a card. I have plenty back at the precinct so I don't have to conserve them. "I'll be back tomorrow. I will get your son's statement here but we will have to go back to the precinct so I can get your daughter's statement." I finish.

"Thank you, Sergeant." The woman says, and I smile and nod at her and the rest of the family before walking away. Suddenly, I get the urge to call someone. I get out my phone and press his name and hold the phone up to my ear.

"Olivia?" He answers.

"Hey, Simon. It's been a while." I say to my estranged half-brother…

 **A/N: Okay, I was definitely experimenting with this chapter. Did you guys like the SVU POV? It's okay if you didn't – please be honest and tell me what you thought.**

 **Though many parts of this chapter aren't relevant to the actual story, I really wanted to bring Olivia in here because I might do some side stories based off of this chapter that won't be part of this story (either with Liv and Simon, Amaro and Rollins, etc.). I doubt I'll be doing any more SVU POV's unless you guys tell me that you specifically like them (though SVU will still be an integral part of the story).**

 **And just a side note, I am making all these chapter titles in the guise of an SVU title; it would sound like it could be an episode (even the title of the story does, as was my intention).**

 **Also, don't forget to review!**


	4. The Morning After

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes.**

 **A/N: Please read the A/N at the end. After this chapter, the format of this story is probably going to change a bit. I will explain there at the end. But, still, I hope you like this one!**

 **Also, please review!**

"Well, I think I'll leave now. I was going to talk to your son if he woke up soon but I have to get back to the precinct now. Here's my card and call me if there's anything questions." I say, handing each of them a card. I have plenty back at the precinct so I don't have to conserve them. "I'll be back tomorrow. I will get your son's statement here but we will have to go back to the precinct so I can get your daughter's statement." I finish.

"Thank you, Sergeant." The blonde woman says, and I smile and nod at her and the rest of the family before walking away.

 **Justifiable (Chapter 4)-The Morning After**

 _Blech._

Why do I feel like my eyes are being _crushed_ and there is this _awful_ taste in my mouth, almost as if I just woke up from one of my naps I take after coming home from school?

"Ugh." I grunt as I try to open my eyes when I suddenly feel a… _burning_ …sensation in my right thigh. It's definitely uncomfortable, but not necessarily hurting. Also, my entire lower back _is_ hurting and it feels so heavy. Wait…

…I remember! I…I got _stabbed_ there! Holy shit!

Haley!

"Luke!" I hear and I manage to pry my eyes open and I am pleased that the lights are dim and they don't hurt as much as they could be hurting. At least Mom and Dad remembered after I was in the hospital at the end of last year.

"How's H-Haley?" I ask immediately rather than acknowledging them, my voiced very forced and scratchy. I'm not even worrying about myself right now, with my stabbing and my burning thigh. I need to know how my sister is – it's my duty as her brother.

"She's…good, because of you, buddy." Dad says, and I sigh and relax back into this hospital bed. Everything's coming back to me now. How she was tied up, blood dripping from her neck, how it felt with that knife entering me, and that final gurgling sound that _bastard_ Dylan made when he spit up all that blood.

"Is Dylan in jail? That asshole deserves to be after what he did to Haley." I ask, not even caring that I swore in front of my parents like that. He should be in jail for the rest of his life.

"Honey, I don't know how to tell you this, but…" Mom gets silent, and…

…I sigh. I think I know where she was going with that.

"I… _killed_ him, didn't I" I ask after a few moments of shock. When he fell I thought he was dead, but I just assumed that they were able to save him because they saved me. But, I guess not…

"Luke, don't think of it like that. You didn't do _anything_ wrong. You were only defending you-" I cut Dad off.

"Good. If that bastard isn't going to rot in jail then I'm glad he's dead. He can never hurt Haley again." I say, confidently.

Neither my parents nor myself says anything for a few moments. I'm in pain because of my back, and I don't want it to show. I also don't want to talk about this whole thing yet. Haley's fine, and I can worry about myself now.

"How are _you_ feeling, Luke? Are you okay?" Dad asks me.

"I'm thirsty. Is there any water around?" Whenever I wake up from a nap, I am thirsty and drinking something not only fixes that but it also helps get rid of that nasty sleep-taste.

"Yeah, I'll get some, buddy." Dad walks into the bathroom on the other side of the room and I can hear the water turning on. He returns with a small cup (I assume they have some sort of stack in there in a dispenser) and I drink it slowly because I am still lying down. I know not to try to sit up because that'll kill my back.

"What time is it?' I ask, drinking some more water. If it's late, that might explain why nobody else is here.

"Three in the morning. My Dad and Gloria took Haley and Jess with them because she doesn't want to stay in that home alone. Cam and Mitchell were here too. You were in surgery for a while and Lily and Manny have school tomorrow. Manny told us that he'll get your homework for you but not tell what happened, and Haley told us about you not wanting us to tell Alex about all this, and we haven't told her." Mom says, and I…vaguely remember something like that.

"I see." I say, taking all this in. I _really_ don't want to miss class; my Trig math class is easy but only because my teacher explains it. Everything else I can easily catch up on. I wonder what Mr. Turner will think. He _hates_ it when people miss rehearsal. Sure, this is an extenuating circumstance, but still.

"Tomorrow, a detective of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit is going to come here to get your statement. The sergeant who came here with Haley told us it's just standard procedure." Mom says.

"That's fine with me. The sooner we get through this proper stuff the better so we can all move on from this." I say. I'm not sure how Haley's going to 'get past' this – she was _assaulted_.

"Why didn't you want us to tell Alex? We haven't, but she deserves to know." Dad asks.

"It's not _that_ big of a reason, but it's because she has finals soon. Think about it, if she hears about what happened to Haley and me, then she will not be able to focus on her exams. Yes, she'll be pissed off when she comes home, but I'll her it was all my idea. I think it's fair. I already have one sister who was hurt by this, I am _not_ going to allow another sister to be hurt." I say.

"Okay." Mom says. That's it?

"Why are you guys acting so _calm_?" I ask them. I mean, if this were my kid, I would be freaking _the fuck_ out!

"Because everyone is safe. You stopped Haley's attack and she's fine, you awake and you're fine, we're just happy that you're both _fine_." Dad says. It makes sense – deal with it one step at a time and be able to take some breathing room when everyone is safe.

We're all good at the moment, and we can all relax.

* * *

I awake calmly. There is still a bad taste in my mouth, though not quite as bad, and the light is bright coming in through the windows. Obviously, it's morning. My phone is next to me on the small counter, right where I left it last night when Mom and Dad gave it to me before they left.

They really did want to stay, but I had to convince them not to. Dad has another big showing and an open house today. If he's lucky, these two sales would be huge for us. And Mom and Grandpa have _something_ to do against their competitors Closets, Closets, Closets, Closets. I don't understand the business or marketing world at all, but it sounded really important for them so I told them both to go. After my argument for my reason not to tell Alex about this… _thing_ , I guess they knew better than to argue with me when the old-new Luke (the fighter, the depressed, the lonely, in-the-closet one) is still in control of my body instead of the new-new Luke (the happy, the friendly, _out_ one).

I grab my phone and see many texts and no calls, also taking note that today is Friday (meaning I can get started on my homework while laying down and doing nothing). The texts are from Manny, Sam, Reuben, and Uncles Cam and Mitch. I don't feel too shocked that Haley hasn't texted me; I bet she's feeling guilty. Sam felt _so_ guilty after the soy incident at the choir party at the end of last year, and I can safely bet Haley feels at least a thousand times worse.

The texts from Manny say he has my homework and he hope's I'm doing okay. Reuben's and Sam's say the same thing. My uncles' texts say they are so glad that I'm okay (I'm willing to bet Mom talked to Mitchell and that's how they know). I set my phone down when I feel something odd…

…I _really_ have to pee. Like, dam-about-to-burst go. _Fuck!_

I immediately press the nurse's button on my bed's remote (I am no stranger to hospital beds, unfortunately…). After a few moments, a man walks in and asks me what I need.

"Can I have some assistance? I really have to pee." I say, shamelessly. I am in no shape to even move on my own, and I have never felt my bladder so full.

"Uhh…let me check on that. You just came out of back surgery. Hold it in. I'll be back in a few minutes." He says and walks out.

What the hell? _Hold it in?_ He's kidding me, right?

I have no choice but to hold it in. So, to pass the time, I decide to turn on the TV in this room. The first channel that starts is the Food Network, and I decide to stay on it. Thinking about food will help pass the pain of my struggling bladder.

Some minutes later (I hesitate to call it a _few_ ), the man returns with two other people, carrying a black… _thing_ along with another folded thing, appearing to be a walker.

"Okay, Mr. Dunphy. I talked with your surgeon, and he said though he would like to check on you first, he understands your need and we got you this back brace and this walker to help you. So, we're going to help you sit up, put on the brace, and walk you over to the bathroom." The man says, and the other people come over to my left side and lower the wall thing on the bed.

They gently left me up and scoot me over to the side, where they wrap that black thing around me, with Velcro!, and pull this thing with a handle that _tightens_ the brace and attaches to the front with more Velcro. They bring the walker in front of me, and help me as I struggle to stand, even with both arms.

Standing…feels alien to me. There's a lot of pressure on my lower back, and that odd burning sensation is back in my right thigh. I have to ask my surgeon about that when he gives me that checkup later. But this brace is definitely helping me stay upright, and the nurses start walking me toward the bathroom.

* * *

That was embarrassing.

The nurses told me not to worry about it, that they understand and that it's fine, but that was not my finest moment. When they helped lift up my gown, I was able to pee, but I wasn't able to control it. I did manage to get a lot in the toilet, but I felt so bad because I couldn't do _anything_ to help control it. I swear, at home, I'm going to learn to sit and pee until I am fully healed.

That was about three hours ago. I've scarcely been drinking water so I wouldn't have to make a mess for the nurses to clean again. I am _certainly_ not going to tell other people about that. I just-

*Knock* *Knock*

"Lucas Dunphy?" A man says as he walks into my room with a blonde-haired girl.

"Yes?" I ask, having a feeling these are the detectives my parents told me about last night.

"I'm Detective Amaro, and this is Detective Rollins. We're here to get your statement about what happened yesterday." The man says.

"Alright. Well, it begins while I was walking home…"

* * *

"And we're done." Detective Rollins says after I tell them what happened and signed the form. I told them what I saw with Haley when Dylan had her tied up after I broke the window coming in, how I speared him, and what happened after he stabbed me which gave me the opportunity to stab…and _kill_ …him.

I wonder why I'm not feeling any different. It doesn't feel like I killed someone. Maybe it's because I was defending my sister and myself that I feel it's justifiable. I'm just glad I got there when I did, that he didn't have the chance to really hurt my sister.

"And you should know that we already took your sister's statement earlier. She was with Sergeant Benson and Detective Tutuola when we left the precinct to come here." Detective Amaro says. That's…good news.

"Does that mean we can put this behind us now? Dylan's dead, my sister and I are fine. Is this over?" I ask them. It's…I don't want to worry about this stuff anymore. I just want to heal, hug my sister, and be fine enough to hang out with Alex when she comes home soon.

"It looks like it. Because-" Detective Rollins starts but is interrupted by her phone ringing. She looks at it before holing up a finger meaning she'll be a moment. "Rollins." She says when she answers her phone. I see her face get tensed, like she's worried. "Yes, Sergeant. I understand." She says, downcast.

"What is it?" Detective Amaro asks. She looks at him and shakes her head, like she can't believe what's happening. I know that head shake…

"Lucas Dunphy…" She says, looking at Amaro and then me.

I freeze. Nobody ever uses my full name. They only did when they first came in my room and they've called me Luke every time after. And after that head shake…what the hell is happening now?

"…You're under arrest for the involuntary manslaughter of Dylan Marshall."

 **A/N: Yes, most of this chapter can be considered filler, but there are bits here and there (especially the end) that will play a role. I do apologize for the filler though, but there is a reason. The reason…I don't think I am going to be writing this story in 1** **st** **person any more, at least the majority of it, and I needed to fill a word amount for this chapter before moving on to my plot advancement.**

 **I have planned a ridiculous, crazy, and addicting plot and 1** **st** **person will not suffice in getting it across. I might still have some reflection chapters or something in 1** **st** **person – I have no idea yet; I just want to start writing my plot and I am willing to try this experiment if it means I can share this plot I came up with with all of you. And, a quite a bit of this is also what I went through when I had my own back surgery when I was in 10** **th** **grade, so I wanted to write it in. Also, don't forget to review!**


	5. Alliances

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes.**

 **A/N: Like I said, trying a different writing style for this chapter. This 3** **rd** **person style may crash and burn, but I can always switch back to a 1** **st** **person style, but changing character P.O.V's with line breaks if necessary (which I will probably do anyway). Please give me feedback on this writing style. But, also, I hope you enjoy the development here.**

 **Also, please review!**

"Lucas Dunphy…" Detective Rollins says, looking at Detective Amaro and then back at me.

I freeze. Nobody ever uses my full name. They only did when they first came in my room and they've called me Luke every time after. And after that head shake…what the hell is happening now?

"…You're under arrest for the involuntary manslaughter of Dylan Marshall."

 **Justifiable (Chapter 5)-Alliances**

"… _You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"_

Luke's mind started to fade out of concentration. He was _under arrest_ for killing the man that tried to _rape_ his _sister_ and almost killed and/or paralyzed _him_? Luke couldn't believe it. What kind of justice is this?

Detective Rollins _said_ that this was over. But…that phone call. Who was it? Was it Sergeant Benson? It must have been; but she had seemed sympathetic and understanding the day before. What had changed?

"…attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" Detective Rollins' voice brought Luke back to reality. He immediately focuses and knows someone who will help get things back under some sort of control.

"Yes. But, can I make a phone call? I'm going to call my lawyer, Mitchell Pritchett." Luke says, both wanting to not screw anything up and also needing _someone_ from his family to be with him.

"Okay. After your phone call, you will be moved to the hospital's prison ward, where you will wait for your attorney." Detective Rollins tells Luke, but she doesn't seem objective. She seems…lenient. She is going easy on him.

She doesn't think he belongs under arrest either…but she has her orders. But _why_ are these the orders?

* * *

"Yes, the case great. Our negotiations are coming close to making a deal and I estimate that one should be reached in about-" Mitchell is cut off in speaking by a knock on their meeting room door.

"Mitchell, sorry to interrupt, but it's your nephew on the phone. He says there's some kind of emergency and he needs you." The receptionist says after she opens the door. Mitchell is…scared. Was Claire hurt? Did something happen to his sister? Did something happen with Haley and the police?

"Go. Do whatever you have to do; don't worry about it." His boss immediately tells him. Mitchell looks over to his boss. This is a man that understands priorities in life and isn't going to make Mitchell's life any more difficult. Everyone knows family comes first.

"Thank you, sir." Mitchell tells his boss, and rushes over to his personal office's phone and directs the call there. "Luke, I'm here. What happened?" He asks his nephew.

"Mitchell, they arrested me. That's all I'm saying, and I need you as my lawyer. Don't tell Mom or Dad or anyone yet; I'll tell you why. I'm at the hospital, and they're taking me to the prison ward." Luke says. Obviously this kid knows not to say anything because it can come back to bite him.

"Okay. I'll be there soon. Say nothing. Bye." Mitchell says and hangs up the phone. He takes a few deep breaths before grabbing his briefcase and making sure he has his cellphone and car keys. He runs to his car and heads off to the hospital.

* * *

"What the hell is going on here, Amanda? Why is that kid under arrest?" Detective Amaro, Nick, asks her as soon as they leave the room of handcuffed-to-the-bed Luke Dunphy.

"I don't know, Nick. Liv called and said to place him under arrest. She said it was all BS and that Barba was already on it to make it stop. She said she was under orders of One P.P. to have him arrested and that we had no choice." Amanda tells Nick.

"Why would the D.A.'s office charge this kid? This was obviously a justifiable homicide. But he's charged with Involuntary Manslaughter? Even if we were looking for evidence of a crime against him, nothing at the crime scene would be enough to get this past the Grand Jury. The girl was found tied up and the perp's prints on the knife in his back!" Nick tells Amanda, angry but definitely not at her.

"I know. But Olivia said M.E. Warner found something in autopsy. It might get the indictment." Rollins says. "This is such utter-" She is cut off when she hears a man's nervous, worried voice.

"Detectives, I am looking for my client, Lucas Dunphy. I am his attorney Mitchell Pritchett." Mitchell says, rushing into the corridor, clothes disheveled. This is his nephew in there, he doesn't give a damn about appearance.

"Yes, he's in there." Nick says, pointing to the door. "Wait – you were waiting here yesterday. You're his uncle, aren't you?" Nick asks, recognizing Mitchell from when the entire family was waiting to hear about him while Olivia was driving the victim, Luke's sister Haley, to the hospital.

"Yes, I am. I need some time to confer with my client." Mitchell says, definitely acting professional, but in all honesty he has no idea what the hell he's doing in this situation.

* * *

When Luke sees his uncle enter the room, he feels safe again. He was dragged away to a new room and a new floor, both his hands are handcuffed to the rails, and he couldn't talk or say anything even if we wasn't completely alone.

"Luke! What happened?" Mitchell asks right after he hugs his nephew as best he could, given the boy's handcuffed wrists.

"They said I'm under arrest for the Involuntary Manslaughter of Dylan. I mean, can they even do this?" He asks, head sinking into the pillow. The poor kid just can't get a break in anything, especially in his choice of legal counsel, too.

"I…have no idea, Luke. I'm not a criminal lawyer or a defense attorney. I'm just in environmental law. I mean, I'll do what I can to help you throughout this whole thing, but we need a lawyer who specializes in this." His uncle tells him.

"Who has money for that? We're already paying for both Haley's and Alex's college. That's why I told you not to tell Mom or Dad – Dad needs this open house so he can sell it and get commission, and Mom and Grandpa making profits equals more money." Luke says.

Money is something that's always on his mind nowadays. Before Alex went to college, he didn't think about it much. But now that she's gone, along with the fact that he has choir competitions to pay for, money's always been a factor in his decisions since then.

He _knows_ he shouldn't be worrying about money. It's not his responsibility. But he can't help it; he feels bad having his envelope money still sitting there in his room, though he no longer feels that bad about that free vet visit the same day all this mess began.

"Part of your rights is a free attorney, a public defender. We'll work with them, and I would be there every step of the way as well; I would not let any half-assed attorney run your case." Mitchell says, and Luke takes a deep breath. He chuckles…he's just going to have to play this by ear, isn't he?

"What do we do right now? I just want to go home, but not only am I handcuffed, I can still barely walk." Luke says. He hasn't told anyone yet, those nurses that helped him pee included, but he still has that burning sensation in his right thigh. He's going to tell his surgeon whenever he decides to show up.

"Well, you can't be interrogated without a parent present. So, whenever your parents are done with their things like you said, they'll come here. But besides that, arraignment will probably be tomorrow. That's where you make a plea for the charges. Obviously, we'll plead not guilty. Then we'll have the grand jury, where they decide if something _could have_ happened, not whether it did, that's for trial." Mitchell tells his client, his nephew.

"Trial? Like, where people decide whether or not I'm guilty?" Luke asks; he's starting to feel like an actual criminal already.

"Yes. But Luke, trust me. They will not convict you. If there's one woman on that jury, and one man with a wife or a sister, they will not convict. They will sympathize with you and will not put you in jail for what you did. If anything, Luke, you're a hero, and that jury will see you as a hero." Mitchell frankly tells his nephew, and with pride.

"A hero?" Luke chuckles when he hears that. "Alex called me her hero at her graduation. So now I'm a hero to both my sisters?" Luke starts laughing at that, though it might be a little inappropriate given the situation.

"So, that's it. Your public defender and I will handle everything. But trust me, no matter what, you will not be convicted. I know this'll be hard on everyone, but you have to stay strong." Mitchell tells his nephew, looking at his watch. He's going to call Phil in a minute and ask if he's almost done.

"I've been 'staying strong' for like a year now. What's a few more weeks?" Luke responds sarcastically. This kind of breaks Mitchell's heart. His nephew, after his coming out, said he was good and everything. But, Mitchell knows how much pain the kid was in, and how much he could still be in, even if just by remembering it.

It's not fair. This kid has done nothing wrong; how come it seems that everything is out against him? Mitchell sees so many qualities in Luke that he would want in a son, and it pains Mitchell to see the kid like this. He's determined to do whatever it takes to make this as easy as possible.

"I'm going to call your dad and see if he's almost done. I won't say anything or that I'm even here." Mitchell says, pulling out his cellphone.

"While you're out there, can you ask a nurse to tell my surgeon to come? I would like my examination and to maybe walk a little more." Luke says, trying to hide that pain in his leg.

"Of course."

* * *

"Arrest him, Amanda. We're under orders. I have no idea why, and A.D.A. Barba's already trying to convince the D.A. to drop the charges. But, just do it." Oliva tells Amanda and then hangs up the phone.

"What's the plan, Liv? We're being forced to literally put the victim on trial. Why is One P.P. doing this?" Detective Tutuola asks her, his commanding officer but also one of his best friends.

"I have no idea, Fin. Melinda isn't done with autopsy, so I have no idea what exactly she found, but she found something. I doubt Barba's going to have any luck, what with the whole secrecy going on right now. And to top it all off, the kid is in the hospital, just fresh from getting a knife removed from his spine after getting stabbed just trying to defend himself." Oliva says, slumping into her chair.

"I bet I know who can help us." Fin says, and Olivia looks up at him, knowing exactly who he's talking about.

"Alright, I'll call him. Thanks, Fin." Olivia says and Detective Tutuola walks out her office, shutting the door. Olivia picks up her phone and dials the number.

"Hey, Olivia. It's been a while. How are you?" The voice of her dear, old friend answers the phone. His voice always did make her smile.

"I'm good, John. It's great to hear your voice. But, I'm calling on business. I need a favor, Special Investigator for the District Attorney, Munch."

 **A/N: I am labelling the job positions (at least the acronyms for some) of all these people for those who are unfamiliar with SVU. I really hope there's a good balance between the two universes, here. And I finally brought in Mitchell (in case anyone was wondering why his name was in the character listing for the story)!**

 **Did I do Mitchell justice for this chapter? I mean, he is a lawyer, so he knows all the stuff involved in the process, but he is in no way trained for a criminal career, it makes sense he would get someone qualified to work alongside (trust me – I have this whole thing planned out, so don't worry if things feel like they're not going anywhere).**

 **And, yeah, I didn't really like this 3** **rd** **-person style. It was a little interesting to do for some of the characters. I was able to add a little bit of thoughts that wouldn't work from a 1** **st** **person angle, but I don't think it really brought anything new to the table overall. I think I'm just going to alternate between 1** **st** **person segments, and I'll try to make it obvious whose it is right after each line-break without just labelling it as such.**

 **Also, don't forget to review!**


	6. Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes.**

 **A/N: Sorry for such the long wait for this update! I had some serious writer's block as to what I want to put in each chapter, and I had no answer so I just started writing and it finally came together little by little each day until I actually had something semi-decent. I hope you enjoy this one! Be warned, though, it's starting to get darker…**

 **Also, please review!**

 **Justifiable (Chapter 6)-Revelations**

I've never had such trouble running an open house before. I was going to cancel, but Luke convinced me to have it. It went smoothly and I appeared on my game, thank goodness, but inside I kept getting distracted and I almost screwed up quite a bit. Any longer and I bet my collected cover would have fallen. But all in all, the open house was a success and I bet we're going to be able to sell it soon.

And the showing I had of a different house rocked. The success of the open house before it did help my composure, and we got the sale. It's not final yet, because there needs to be some last-step paperwork, but we did it. And we can really use this commission I'm making from it.

I want just my family to go on a small vacation in a few months. Not anywhere like Hawaii or Australia or anywhere else we've been. We just need a _break_. That's what this commission will be used for – healing.

Luke and Haley need to heal, in more ways than one. Two of my three children have been through something terrible and traumatic, and I don't know how to really help them except by being there for them. As a father, I just feel useless right now.

I feel useless because I couldn't protect my children. Luke could have died, and who knows what Dylan would have done to Haley if Luke hadn't stopped him.

 _Dylan…_

I can't believe what Dylan did. After everything we did with him, and how long we've known him, he would do this. He was a family friend, once upon a time. We had him over for dinner, he went on vacation with us, and he even spent Jay's night with us once. All this was while Haley and he were together. Then they broke up.

Though it wasn't exactly the nicest break up on my daughter's part, I had thought Dylan respected her enough to leave her alone. But, no, after they broke up, he called and texted and made her cry. I get that she hurt his feelings, but he should have stopped. And he did, but only when Luke threatened him.

I was so shocked when I learned that earlier today. Haley told me everything that she was going to write on the statement for the police, and all the things I learned shocked me. What had happened to my children? Why does it seem like they, or at the very least Luke, is living a double life?

* _Hey, Hey! Hey, Hey! Hey, Hey! Hey, He-*_

I pick up my phone which is playing quite an awesome, but short, big band song for its ringtone. I see that it's Mitchell.

"Hey, Mitchell." I answer. Talking to someone could be a good distraction.

"Phil, are you busy? I called Luke earlier to see how he was and he said you had some real estate stuff to do and I was just wondering if you're done and free to talk." Mitchell says.

"Yeah, I just finished. It all went great. That first open house got some potential buyers and that other showing we got the sell. At least that's something we can all be thankful for. Sorry to go off-topic, Mitchell. What's up?" I ask.

* * *

"I just finished talking to your father. He said he's on his way over." Uncle Mitchell tells me, walking back into the room.

"So I take it he finished his business? How did it go?" I ask. I suppose I could wait until Dad gets here to ask, but I want to know now. It'll keep my mind distracted.

"It went very well. He got the sale on that house and got some potential buys for the other." Mitchell says, smiling.

"Thank goodness. Finally something we can celebrate." I say. If my arms weren't restrained, I'd be raising them in victory.

"Luke, I want to ask you something. Have you talked to Haley before… _this_?" Mitchell asks me after a few seconds of hesitation, gesturing to the restraints.

"No, unfortunately." I respond, looking to Mitchell's suit pocket where my phone now is, rather than in the open where I can't touch it due to the restraints.

I don't blame her for not wanting to talk to me, though. She is probably in her room, or possibly with Uncle Cameron or Gloria or _somebody_ so she won't be alone, blaming herself for my injuries. She probably doesn't want to face me, thus, not wanting to face what she believes is her fault.

I hope she knows none of this is her fault. If anything, it's _my_ fault for engaging Dylan. I could very well have just called 911 after breaking the window and waited for the police to come. If I did, Dylan might have just ran. If I did, he wouldn't have had the knife yet and we could have just a regular fight.

If I did, maybe I wouldn't be laying here, restrained to a hospital bed, under arrest for killing someone in self-defense…

*Knock* *Knock*

"Yes, sorry for the delay, Mr. Dunphy, but I was called into an emergency surgery. I'm Dr. Jeffery Kim. If it's alright with you, I'd like to have this nice Detective remove your restraints so I can perform the post-op exam." A relatively young, but confident, young man comes into my room with Detective Rollins. I look over to Uncle Mitchel, and he nods at me.

"Sure thing, fine Doctor." I say, actually happy for once. At least for a little while, I can kind of be free and I can finally ask about this burning sensation in my leg.

Detective Rollins unlocks the handcuffs, and look guilty at having to do this. Obviously, she doesn't like this situation any more than I do. I believe she sympathizes with me, actually. She and Uncle Mitchel exit the room, leaving only Dr. Kim with me.

"Just so you know, Mr. Dunphy, I think what's happening is disgraceful. I was told what you did during surgery, and I believe you are a hero." Dr. Kim says, surprising me.

"Thank you, Doctor. And please, call me Luke." I say. Dr. Kim begins his exam, feeling around my back, looking at the wound, replacing the dressing and even placing this water-resistant bandage over it so I can take a shower normally in a few days when I can stand.

"Dr., ever since I woke up, I have had this weird burning sensation in my right thigh, right here." I say, pointing to the area.

"Hmm. Okay. I was going to request an MRI after this, and this just gives us another reason to do it. I'll set that up and we'll take you down in an hour or so, depending if it's in use. We'll figure out why you're feeling that." Dr. Kim says, and I sigh.

"All right. Thanks, again."

* _The reflex, is a lonely child, he's waiting in the park. The reflex, Is in charge of-_ *

The doctor hands me my phone as he's closer to it, and my eyes widen at who's calling me…

"Hey." I say once I answer.

* * *

"Mr. Pritchett." Detective Rollins gets my attention as soon as we exit the room.

"Yes, Detectives?" I respond, trying to be as professional and intimidating as possible. I know she and Amaro are sympathetic, but right now they're the enemy and so is the entire criminal justice system for letting this farce already get this far.

"We know this is completely unfair to Luke. But, these are our orders, including Sergeant Benson. Our ADA is already talking to the DA to try to get these charges to drop. Unfortunately, this whole thing is just screwed up." Detective Amaro tells me.

Just what the hell is going on?

* * *

"Melina, walk me through all this, starting with why there even was an autopsy. There is documentation of attempted life-saving measures, so why did you have to do an autopsy on this man?" I ask the Medical Examiner, who is also my friend.

"I don't know, Liv. All I know was that I was given the order. And I'm glad I was. What I found was…shocking." Dr. Warner says, and I need to know.

"What did you find?" I ask her.

"Well, cause of death was obvious. There was a fatal stab wound to the heart as the blade slid between the ribs. But that wasn't what was surprising. I ran the tox screen, and I found instances of sodium amytal in his system. Not only that, but I found this stuck in his colon, along with severe anal trauma." Dr. Warner says, holing a dish with some sort of plastic knob…thing.

"What does all that mean? And what is that thing?" This is starting to look like a lot more than just self-defense during a sexual assault.

"My guess on this thing is that it's from a guitar, or some sort of string instrument. My daughter plays the violin and has these things to tune the strings. And as for the sodium amytal, it could be anything from reverse hypnosis to recall memories to anything like memory implantation and other forms of psychological abuse and mind-alterations." Melinda tells me, definitely widening the investigation.

"This man was sodomized. It also explains why he was reportedly acting out of character and delusional during the attack. But why would someone do this? Who would do this? And why do people think Luke would do this? Melinda, is one able to get sodium amytal on the street?" I ask my colleague. Right now, Luke is the _only_ suspect and that's why he was arrested. It's all making sense now as to why this boy is being victimized again.

"No, or at least not that I'm aware of. It cannot get anyone high, and it's already a high controversial drug in the medical field. Several propositions have been posed to make it illegal. And as for the boy, I would say find the instrument that this tuner came from. It's the only thing that could clear him." Melinda tells me, and I get out my phone.

"Thanks, Melinda." I say, the phone already ringing for Amaro.

"Nick, there's been a development."

* * *

This…this is good. This is fun. This is what I need.

A distraction.

I'm playing that game Luke and Manny always play with each other, Super Smash Bros. on Manny's Gamecube. Though, I kind of suck at it. I never have been one for video games, but this one is rather fun and it is a good distraction.

"Success!" The announcer shouts as I got only one of the three trophies in Classic mode. "Team Samus versus…Giant Link!" The announcer says and my eyes are drawn to Giant Link's blade in the cutscene.

I pause the game, and my hand goes up to my bandaged neck. The cut was superficial, only a surface wound. But, it makes me think back to the entire attack.

I can _still_ feel his hands on my breast. I can _still_ feel his hands in between my legs. I can _still_ feel his tongue invading my mouth. I can _still_ feel that knife sliding across my neck. I can _still_ sense his mental instability. I can _still_ hear that choking sound from his own blood.

I can _still_ remember _everything_.

I can't even talk to anyone about this. I'm not going to tell anyone what he did to me before Luke showed up again. I only told the police because I had to, and I know they won't tell anyone, not even my parents.

I still feel so violated. I am still so afraid that I can't even be in that house alone. Mom drove me here this morning after Jess was fed so I wouldn't have to be alone. At least I wasn't a complete burden to her; she carpooled with Grampa and drove Manny to school.

I can't even get the courage to call Luke. Every time I think about him, I just see him lying there on the floor unconscious, with that knife ticking out of his spine.

He was so brave. He was brave enough to defend me, and I can't get enough courage to call him and see if he's okay. I can't even thank him.

Who am I? I know my name, but who exactly is Haley Dunphy? Is she a coward? Is that really all she is?

…I wish I could call Alex. I wish my sister was here, but I can't tell her. I promised Luke, and Mom told me his reasons as to why.

He cares enough about his older sister _even though there's a knife in his spine_ that he doesn't want to cause any possible issues with her exams. How can he forsee such issues like that? How can he be in that position and possibly come up with not only that, but also the reason to keep Jess away?

…He must really love us. Way more than I do, apparently.

After he was just lying there, up until the police came, I just wanted to get out of there. I didn't care about anyone or anything, except for myself. I just wanted to run away, to scream, to cry, to do _something_ than just sit there, restricted, and be all alone. I must hate my family if I couldn't even stay worried about Luke for more than thirty seconds after he was lying there.

That must be who I am. That must be who Haley Dunphy is. She must be a self-obsessed, non-caring, psychopath in the face of adversity.

The tears finally reach my eyes as I sob into my knees. I'm not Haley Dunphy anymore. I'm just a shell of the girl that was Haley Dunphy. The real Haley Dunphy loves her family. The real Haley Dunphy isn't a coward who's afraid to call her own brother. The real Haley Dunphy wouldn't just be sobbing here alone, pathetic, and broken like I am.

"Haley…" Gloria says and comes into the room and sits next to me and pulls me into a hug. She wraps her arms around me as I sob into her chest. "You're not alone, Haley. We love you." Gloria whispers to me. How did she know that was exactly what I needed to hear?

"Why am I so afraid to call him, Gloria?" I ask, still crying but no longer sobbing.

"Because you love him. You blame yourself and think that it's your fault, even though you know it isn't. Your heart isn't letting you see the truth." Gloria says, softly and soothingly. What she says…

…Is completely true.

I _do_ love my brother. I _do_ love my family. I'm _not_ alone. I'm _not_ broken _or_ pathetic, I'm only hurt. I am scared, but I am _not_ a coward…

I _am_ Haley Dunphy.

"Thank you, Gloria. Can you give me a few minutes? I want to call Luke." I say to her, and she hugs me before getting up.

She walks out of the room and I grab my phone, looking at his name on my favorites list as soon as I unlock it. I was staring at this screen a lot earlier as I was trying to gather the courage to call him. I decide to just do it and I hit his name. It rings only a few times before he answers.

"Hey." Luke says to me. I smile softly when I hear his voice and those tears come to my eyes because it really is him.

"Thank you…" I choke out, trying not to cry again. "And, I'm so happy you're alright. I've been so…" Our conversation starts, all my insecurities left behind the moment I heard his voice.

 **A/N: Well, I bet you guys didn't see** _ **that**_ **coming with the autopsy. I warned that this was going to get darker. And if anyone was wondering, Luke's ringtone was "The Reflex"** **by Duran Duran and Phil's ring tone was supposed to (jokingly) be the Modern Family theme song. Lastly, I decided to switch back to 1st-person, and I think I can make it work. Anyway, what did you guys think? I really hoped you liked it! I'll try to have the next chapter up quicker than this one was. Also, don't forget to review!**


	7. Punched

**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family,** **Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or any other Law and Order series.**

 **Warning: This story contains sensitive topics and dark themes.**

 **Also, please review!**

 **Justifiable (Chapter 7)-Punched**

"On the charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, how does the defendant plead?" The judge asks. We're at my arraignment, and the grand jury will start in two days on Monday to see whether I will be indicted. I got out of the hospital last night after I was released to my parents after they filled out some paperwork after being explained what was happening by the detectives and Uncle Mitchell.

"Not guilty, your honor." My defense attorney, Bayard Ellis says. Sergeant Benson recommended him to us and he said he'd be our attorney pro-bono. Apparently, this isn't the first case he's done this for. Uncle Mitchell is here as well, just like he said he would be.

"And bail?" The judge asks and looks over to the prosecution.

"We request one-hundred thousand dollars." The female Homicide ADA says, and I am not shocked. Mr. Ellis warned us that the prosecution always gives unreasonable bail charges to intimidate and to, as my Uncle Cam would say, 'trojan horse' it.

"That's ridiculous. My client's uncle is an attorney, one is a teacher at a school, his father is a well-known realtor, and he can't even walk without assistance. Not only is he not a flight risk, but he has significant ties to the community. He should be released to his parents." Mr. Ellis says, voice confident.

"Your honor-" The prosecution is cut off.

"Sorry, Ms. Stevens, I agree with the defense. The defendant is released into the custody of his parents. Oh, and out of curiosity, Ms. Stevens, why isn't ADA Barba prosecuting this case? This case belongs to Special Victims, after all." The judge asks.

"He personally objected to the prosecution of this case and it has since been handed over to Homicide." ADA Stevens responds.

"Very well. The defendant will be released to his parents." The judge repeats and bangs his gavel.

I feel hands on my shoulder and I let out a sigh. I can go home without any more trouble for two days, and even then, I'm not even going to be testifying at the grand jury. Those who will be include Haley, Sergeant Benson, the Medical Examiner, among others. I'll just be staying with Gloria and Joe during the days while it goes on.

When I got home last night, it all came flashing back to me. The sound of me breaking the window, how the adrenaline made me spear him, the disgust I felt seeing Haley all tied up. I just rushed up to my room as best as I could, though it was still slow on count of my back brace and walker. When I finally _did_ make it up there, I was relieved to see Jess on my bed, sleeping. She looked so _happy_ when I entered the room, but she was a bit afraid of my walker.

Mom came in my room and helped me lay down and everything. As soon as I settled, Jess just jumped on my chest and just laid there, taking _me_ in. If I didn't know that she just missed me, I would find it a _bit_ creepy.

Mom also brought me a bottle of water and my bottle of antibiotics so I won't get an infection. The pills taste bad, and the bottle smells even worse, but luckily I am able to swallow pills rather quickly. I struggled out of my clothes and just went to sleep in my underwear while Jess laid on me until she left sometime in the middle of the night.

This morning was actually the first time I _saw_ Haley since she was tied up. We talked for a bit on the phone when I was in the hospital, where she was just telling me how much she loved me, thanked me, and was glad that I was okay. She just stayed in her room when I came home, and I understand that – she wasn't ready to see me yet. But this morning she ate breakfast with us. We didn't really say anything except a 'hello' because of the awkwardness.

And, to be honest with myself, I don't want to talk. I had to _force_ myself to talk to my parents and Haley and even Uncle Mitchell after the conversation and tests I had with the doctor. What he told me…devastated me. The pain in my thigh…it's worse than we thought it would be.

He told me that not only will the pain never go away completely, I probably won't walk one-hundred percent again. He said that I'll probably get anywhere between ninety-five to ninety-nine percent, but there is permanent nerve damage because of the sudden thrust of the disk onto my spinal cord from the knife.

I asked him not to tell anyone because he said nothing really could be done except for physical therapy, which I am already scheduled to start in a week or two once my wound starts to heal and close up. So, he's going to let me tell my family when I'm ready to – which I am not right now, not at all. And Mr. Ellis said he understood how hard this must be for me when I met him _hours ago_ because of Sergeant Benson and shook my hand while he and Uncle Mitchell worked through everything.

"All right, we won today, guys. This is a good thing." Mr. Ellis says, shaking my hand as well as my families'.

"Let's go home, sweetie." Mom says, hugging me and kissing my cheek.

I can only nod…

* * *

" _Course laid in, Captain."_

" _Engage."_

This. Show. Is. Freaking. Awesome!

I'm taking a break from my homework that I started doing after my arraignment and I'm watching a marathon of _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ on a channel close to one of my standard go-to channels that I never actually looked at before. I've always heard good things about _Trek_ shows, but never actually watched them – I guess I might have assumed they were for people like my parents or Grandpa Jay. But this show is a very good distraction from everything – I'm really smiling, laughing, and my leg isn't even in pain at the moment!

* _The reflex, is a lonely child, he's waiting in the park. The reflex, Is in charge of-_ *

I grab my phone after pausing the TV and see that Sam is calling! I'm in a good mood and I feel a bit up to talking to my best friend for a little bit.

"Hey, Sam." I say to him.

"Luke! I just thought I'd see how you were doing. Manny said you just got home from the hospital a few hours ago and said I could try calling." Ah, leave it to good ole' Manny to keep everything on the down-low for me.

"Yeah. Sorry I haven't responded to your or Reuben's texts. You know." I say to him, feeling a little guilty at leaving everyone in the dust.

"No need to apologize, dude. I'm just glad that you're okay. Has the driver been charged yet?" Sam asks, and I am lost.

…What exactly did Manny tell them?

"What? Can you tell me what Manny told you I can fill in what he hasn't?" I ask, hoping he'll tell me what he 'knows' so I can play along.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, Manny said that you were in a hit-and-run and that they eventually caught him when he crashed it. He said that you just barely managed to call 911 before you passed out. He didn't give me any more info." Sam explains, and I must admit that Manny told a _pretty good_ lie.

"Oh. Yeah, that's pretty much it. But yeah, I think they're charging him already. I'm not really involved with that, though." I say, not knowing what else to add.

"I see. Well, how are you holding up? Are you all hopped up on pain pills or something?" Sam asks in a teasing tone. Being reminded of pain makes my leg throb, the distraction of _TNG_ no longer in effect. I squeeze that part of my thigh tightly and it just barely helps at all.

"Unfortunately not. Though I'm only sore; I got lucky but I'll still be out of school for at least a week to heal and everything." I say. Though it's true I have to take time off to heal, I think the trial's going to take a long time, too. I'll have to come clean about all this… _soon_ , but right now I'm happy lying and letting my friends think nothing else can go wrong.

"That sucks, dude. It's gonna be so dull at school and choir without you there for a whole week!" Sam says, making me laugh.

"Nah, you'll manage." I say, smiling on my end.

"Haha, I know. Alright, I just wanted to see how you were. Just don't be afraid to call if you need anything." Sam says, and I am a bit sad that he's going already. It felt nice to just talk to someone without it necessarily being about all _this_. "Hey, Luke…?" Sam asks, voice trailing off.

"Yeah?" I ask, definitely paying attention to the change in his voice.

"…I'm just really glad you're alright. I'll let you go now." Sam says, and I smile when I hear it – I can't help it.

"Alright. See you, Sam. And thank you." I say, locking my phone and putting it down to the side. I unpause the _Star_ Trek marathon and I feel some pain in my leg now that I'm focused again…

...So I punch it.

* * *

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

This is the place to start if we want to find the source of that thing inside of Dylan. After all, Haley Dunphy said that he _was_ a musician.

"Yes?" A woman asks after she opens up the door. Is this his mother?

"Yes, Mrs. Marshall. I'm Detective Tutuola, we spoke at the hospital. I'm sorry for your loss, but we have a few questions." Fin says to her, so she must be the mother who made the I.D. while I was at the Dunphy house.

Funny, she doesn't _look_ that much like a grieving mother right now…

"Of course, detectives. What do you need?" Mrs. Marshall asks us.

"Yes, we were wondering if we could see Dylan's guitar. We found something on his person and we just want to clear out all details." I say, and she sighs slightly.

"I'm sorry, my son didn't play guitar or anything. He only liked to listen to music; he never played." She says, and a red flag raises. I trust the Dunphies – they have _no_ reason to lie about that. She is definitely hiding something.

"Oh, alright. May we take a look around his room to see what the object might have come from then?" Nick asks the woman.

"I'm sorry, Detectives, but you're not coming in here without a warrant. I'm already devastated from losing my only son, whose reputation was destroyed by those lies that girl said, but now you guys want to tear up his room? I don't think so. You may leave, detectives." She says to us, and slams the door in our face. Fin and I share a look before moving off of the property.

"Well she's hiding something, Amanda. While you were driving up here, I took a look at Dylan on the internet – his band is lame, they suck, but they have videos out there." Fin tells me.

"Great, so now we have a lying mother. Alright. Let's ask Liv to put a detail on the house to check for anything suspicious – I'm willing to bet she's gonna ditch the evidence in the time it would take for us to get a warrant, even if we have probable cause which we do not." I say, pulling out my phone to call Olivia.

* * *

"Alright, Rollins. You and Fin stay there and keep an eye on that house. There is definitely more to this than we originally thought, and I don't care that this isn't an SVU case anymore – we are _not_ going to let these Dunphies get hurt anymore. Do what you gotta do, Amanda. Keep me posted." I say, hanging up the phone and dropping it onto my desk…

…Where it immediately starts ringing again. I pick it up and look at the name – _finally!_

"John! _Please_ tell me you got something from your investigation." I immediately question Munch.

"Well nice to talk to you too, Liv. I've been well, my ex-wives haven't been bugging me, you know, the usual." Munch says, and I can't help but chuckle, even with the situation.

"Sorry, John." I say, still laughing. John always knew how to cheer us up when we needed it.

"Alright, Liv. It did take a while, but today I got so much stuff because the new idiot D.A. just left everything here in his office alone. I seriously got to ask Jack McCoy why he decided to retire – I mean who is this guy? I mean, his iPhone's passcode was his birthday. Come on, Liv, who-" I cut him off.

"John, no offense, but please just tell me what you found. We don't have that much time before the grand jury starts and if we want to avoid putting the victim through a trial, then we need to hurry. Fin and Rollins are already staking out the Marshalls' home and the perp's mother, and-" Now _I'm_ the one who gets cut off.

"Wait, Marshall? Is her name Sylvia Marshall?" John suddenly asks.

"How did you know that?" I ask him. Seriously, _how_ did he know the mother's name?

"Olivia…we need to talk in your office. I have proof. I'll be there soon." Munch says, and doesn't even let me respond before he hangs up the phone.

…What is this even turning into?

 **A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated in literally months. School has been an issue, and I've started losing confidence in my plot for this story. But I've decided to go with it and hope for the best. I do have the rest of the main plot outlined, but I'm not too sure about some of the little stuff. But here's this chapter, and I hope you guys like it. Also, don't forget to review!**


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